Stauffer Chemical Co. (Cold Creek Plant)

• Site Profile
• Administrative Record Index (All PDF): OU1 (8 pp., 462K), OU2 (14 pp., 519K)
• Additional Site Documents including Five Year Reviews, Records of Decisions (ROD) and Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD).

Site Background:
The Stauffer Chemical (Cold Creek Plant) Site is located in Mobile County in Bucks, Alabama, approximately 25 miles north of the City of Mobile adjacent to the Stauffer Chemical (LeMoyne Plant) Superfund Site.  The plant began operations in 1966 manufacturing a variety of agricultural chemicals and is currently owned by Zeneca, Inc. The site was added to the National Priority List on September 21, 1984.  In 1986, the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) entered into agreement with EPA to perform a remedial investigation and feasibility study.  Processes operated on the two sites included the following contaminants: carbon disulfide, sulfuric acid, carbon tetrachloride, caustic/chlorine, Crystex (a sulfur compound), thiocarbamates, and various metals including mercury.  Wastewaters from the Stauffer processes were held in clay-lined lagoons and discharge to the Cold Creek Swamp until approximately 1975.  Neutralized waste-brine was also discharged from the Cold Creek Plant during the 1960's.  In September 1989, EPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the site establishing three operable units (OU) to address the contamination.  OU1 addresses groundwater contamination, OU2 the various sources found at the site, and OU3 refers to contamination found in the 650-acre swamp located adjacent to the plant

Cleanup Progress: Actual Construction Underway
In the 1989 ROD, EPA decided to modify operation of an existing groundwater interception and treatment system, ensure a treatment process, and monitor progress.  In 1995, the PRPs completed the design for the modification.  All components of the extraction system are currently in place.  The first five-year remedy review was conducted in the summer of 1999 and the review confirmed that the remedy continues to be protective of human health and the environment.  The Operable Unit One Five-Year Review Report was signed on June 2, 2000.  The second five-year review was conducted in 2005.  The Second Five-Year Review Report was signed in December 2005.  The review found the remedy to be protective of human health and the environment. The next five-year review will be conducted during 2010.

The ROD for OU2 was signed on August 16, 1995.  The ROD calls for ex situ biological remediation of excavated contaminated soils and sediments.  The PRP developed the OU2 Remedial Design and is conducting the Remedial Action.  Final phase of the Remedial Action is planned to be completed by the end of 2008.

The ROD for OU3 was issued in 1993.  In August 2008, EPA issued a Proposed Plan to amend the OU3 ROD to replace the remedy selected in the 1993 ROD.  The amended ROD will now incorporate installation of an innovative in-situ capping technology within the UASZ and require an enhanced monitoring program for the Transition Zone.  This new capping technology was developed in 1996 and therefore was not available for consideration in 1993. 

Further, implementing the new capping technology will result in less wetland loss and wildlife habitat destruction, while providing a comparable level of protectiveness to that of the capping technology chosen in 1993.  Implementing the new technology will also result in a significant cost savings.  It is estimated that today it would cost $34,930,000 to implement the 1993 ROD.  It is projected that the proposed amended ROD will cost $6,200,000 to implement.

A 60-day public comment period, ending on October 27, 2008, was held to receive comments on the Proposed Plan.  As EPA moves forward to finalize the amended ROD, the Agency is currently in consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration regarding their comments submitted during the comment period.  The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has concurred with the Plan.